Electrically-illuminated floor indicator for passenger elevators



Dec. 6, 1927. 1,651,719

J. F. JQNES ELECTRICALLY ILLUMINATED FLOOR. INDICATOR FOR PASSENGER ELEVATORS Original Filed Feb. 20. 1924 JO z/w Jean M243 tion with said indicator.

o of the floors, as such floors Patented Dec. 6, 1927.

insure UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

JOHN E. JONES, OF CHICAG'O, ILLIiIi'OItS.

E LnornIoaLLv-ILLUMInn'rnn recon innron'ror, ran sessions-an ELEVATORS.

Original application filed February 26, 1953 1, Serial No. 691,091. Divided and December 31, 1925. Serial No. 78,576.

This application is a division of myallowed U. S. application, Serial No. 69%,091, filed February 20, 1924:, Patent Number 1,578,131, dated March 23, and whereas the parent case is devoted to the mechanical construction and operating means for the in theater, the present application relates to unique illuminating means having novel rela- The object of the present invention is to provide simp'le, yet effective means for auto matically illuminating the floor indicator as the latter successively discloses the numbers are reached by the elevator. y

With the foregoing in view, the invention resides in the novel subject matter hereinafter described and claimed, the description bein sujalemented'b the accomoan in I b 1. b

drawing.

Figure l is vertical sectional view of a portion of 'an elevator shaft and a number of its doors, showing the el vator car in elevation, equipped with the indicating means and showing the positions of the door-controlled switches. 1

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken partly on the plane of line 2-2 of F i g1 and partly behind said plane, diagrammatically i'lustrating the electrical means for illun'iinating the floor indicator.

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view on the plane of line 3-3-of F ig. 1 showing the indicator in elevation and in dotted lines illustrating the illuminating bulb within said indica-tor.

Figures 4 and 5 are transverse sectional views on lines H and 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Figure 6 is substantially a vertical longitudinal section as indicated by line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Figure 7 is substantially a horizontal seetion on line 7-7 of Fig. 6.

In the drawing above briefly described, I have illustrated a passenger elevator ear C within a shaft S which is provided with the usual doors D at the several floors F.

Mounted within the cage or car C, at a point preferably over the door thereof, I have shown a casing 1 having a view opening 2, said casing being preferably positioned at an angle in order that the numbers of the floors which are successively displayed at the opening 2, may be more readily visible to the elevator passengers. In the ends of this application filed the casing, rollers 3 and 6t have been shown, around which a belt 5Iis trained, said belt having floor numbers as indicated primarily in F g. 3, to be successively displayed at the opening lifieans are provided for driving the belt synchronously e th the movement of the car C., in th flisciosurc beveled groan the roller 4; with a horizontal shaft 8 extending tl'irough one side of the car C, the outerend of said shaft havins a peripherally grooved wheel 9 around whicli a. cable 10 is passed one or more times, the ends of this cable being anchored at 11 at the ends of the shaft 8. Thus, ,as the car 0 travels upwardly and downwardly, the roller 1 will be driven to properly move the belt 5 in timed relation with the car travel, so as to properly present the floor numbers at the opening 2.

Zihe construction and arrangement so far described constitute no part of. the present nvention except in relation with the novel ilhm inating means, hereinafter described.

L WItlnn the casing 1 behind the belt 5 and the view opening 2, 1 position an electric light 12, t being of course understood that in some instances, this light might be positioned contiguous to instead. of withinthe indicator, and for purposes of better representation, this light is shown in Fig. 2, below the casing 1. In this same view, the system of wiring and switches for illuminating the bulb 12 when the shaft doorsare opened, has been diagrammatically illustrated.- I

in the construction shown, each switch includes a casing 13 mount d in the elevator shaft at the upper end of a door D, said casing containing a stationary contact 14 with which a movabie switch member 15 co-acts, said member ha ing a spring 16 for closing it, but being aiso provided with a control member 17 extending to the exterior of the easing lS inpositionto be struck by a section or the door D, if the latter be of the vertically divided type hereindisclosed. If a one-piece door is employed, the control member 17 of course is positioned to be struckby said door when the latter is closed. As long as the door stands closed. it holds the control member 17 so that the switch is in'open position as shown in F ig, 2, but as soon as the elevator operator starts to open the door at any floor, the spring 16 moves the switch to closed position, thus automatically illuminating the bulb 12 and attracting the attention of the passengers to the number of the fioor at which the car is stopping, said number being then conspicuously displayed in the View opening 2. This opening is preferably provided with a translucent colored glass panel or such a panel may be interposed between the front reach of the belt 5 and the bulb 12, as disclosed at 18 in Figs. 5 and 7.

Any desired wiring may be employed for the switches and the bulb 12. In the present showing, a wire 19 is illustrated, leading from a source of current supply 20 and having branch wires 21 connected to the contacts 1 1. Another wire 22, pendant from the elevator car C, leads from the source 20 to the bulb 12, and the terminal of the latter opposite that with which said wire 22 is connected, may well be grounded to the elevator car as indicated at 23. The switch casings 13 are also grounded to some metal lic member in electrical engagen'ient with the port-ion of the elevator car to which the bulb 12 is grounded, the grounding means for said casings being indicated at The switch members 15 are in electrical engage ment with the casings 13. Thus, when any switch member 15 engages its contact 141, current will flow from the source 20, through the wire 19 and its branch 21 to the contact 14-, from this contact through the switch member 15 to the switch casing 13, from this casing through the ground to the bulb 12, and from said bulb back to the source 20, thus causing illumination of said bulb.

It will be seen from the foregoing that while the invention is rather simple and inexpensive, it will be efficient and very desirable, ope 'ating automatically each time one of the shaft doors is opened, and similarly discontinuing its operation as soon as the door is closed.

It may be added that details of switch structure iorm no part 01 the present application, but are presented in another divisional application, Serial No. 89AM, filed February 19, 1926.

I claim :-v

1. The combination with a passenger elevator car and the usual doors of the elevator shatt; of a changeable .tloor indicator carried by said car in position to be visible to the passengers, means connected. to be operated synchronously with the movement of the car to actuate said indicator in timed relation with the travel of the *ar to show the numbers of the floors successively reached, and normally idle u'ieans controlled by the opening of said shaft doors for illuminating said indicator when the door at any floor is opened.

The combination with an elevator oper ating in a shaft between a plurality of floors provided with a door at each floor; of a floor signal including a plurality ot' indicatorm one for each floor, means operated by and in accordance with the movements oi? the ear in said shaft for exhibiting the indicator corresponding to the position of said car. means normally concealing the rennining indicators, normally deenergized means for illuminating said indicators, and means operated by any of said doors for energizing said illuminating means.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto at fixed my signature.

JOHN F. JONES 

